Constructing a large virtual DVD

[SearchQuality]

Hi Folks,
I have got an Iomega ScreenPlay Director, which works quite well with dvd menu structure. Now I intend to construct a large virtual DVD, call it a super DVD, which will have a top menu structure giving access to top menus of the DVDs under it. In this way it will be posssible to assemble a number of DVDs created lets say during a trip as a large hierarchical structure. This virtual DVD can be played using a media player such as the ScreenPlay from Iomega. I am trying to find some suitable tools that I can use in this project. Anyone bringing any ideas will be greatly appreciated.

[Cornucopia]

Not going to happen.

The "TOP LEVEL" of a DVD is just that - it's root. If you intend to make the root be NOT the root (by having a new root that the old root is just an offshoot of), you'll have to REAUTHOR ALL of your existing DVDs (that you intend to include in this "super DVD"). Your Screenplay Director's video menu isn't enough?

Many of the better authoring apps can, in conjunction with good ripping apps that give you all the elements, successfully reauthor a title, or in this case, a series of titles. But that's a whole hell of a lot of work, with NO shortcuts, for little additional payoff that I can see here...

Scott

[SearchQuality]

Many of the better authoring apps can, in conjunction with good ripping apps that give you all the elements, successfully reauthor a title, or in this case, a series of titles. But that's a whole hell of a lot of work, with NO shortcuts, for little additional payoff that I can see here...
Scott

Can you give some names of such authoring apps? Thanks.

[Cornucopia]

Scenarist, DVD Maestro, DVD Architect, DVD Lab Pro, Muxman Pro, TMPGEnc Authoring Works, plenty...

Note: NONE of them will "do it for you" - you have to manually re-assemble them (though a few of the ripping apps will give you the pgc info needed to make this easier.

...still don't know why there hasn't been XML-based DVD/BD ripping & authoring app to make this easier (like there was with VCDImager/VCDEasy).

Scott

[SearchQuality]

I have got DVD Architect where I can simply ignore the DVD size limit of 3.7 GB and go ahead constructing the super DVD. This is possible for the DVDs where the source files exist. For the ripped DVDs I am looking at possibilities of using the ISO files.

[manono]

...where I can simply ignore the DVD size limit of 3.7 GB and go ahead constructing the super DVD.

There's no such thing as a 3.7 GB (or even a 4.7 GB if that was a typo) size limit for DVDs. There is (I believe) a 9 VOB limit for a single VTS.

For the ripped DVDs I am looking at possibilities of using the ISO files.

There are few enough authoring apps that accept VOBs as input. I know of none that allow for import of ISOs (but maybe someone will show me to be wrong).

[guns1inger]

The 9 VOB limit comes down to the naming convention used - no leading zero. A number of authoring apps won't author larger than what will fit on a dual layer, simply because for real-world use there is nothing larger (OK, there are DVD18's but they are essentially two DVD9s as far as authoring is concerned).

You could look at DVD Remake Pro, which can link up to four DVD structures at a time with a simple top menu. Create four of these, and link the four of them together with a new top level menu, and you have 16 DVDs in a single structure.

I don't know how reliable a structure like this would be though.

[Cornucopia]

The spec says that (on the Logical application side) there can be 99 Titles per disc (actually, SIDE), 999 PGCs per Title, 99 Programs per PGC, and 999 PTTs per Title OR 99 per Single-sequential PGC. And 255 max Cell Pointer per PGC. On the physical application side (which is based upon the logical), there can be 99 VTS's per disc, 99 VOBS's (Vob Sets) per VTS, 32767 VOB's per VOBS, and 255 Cells per VOB.

This may sound like a lot of possibilities, but not many Authoring apps allow one to author directly as a PGC or a PTT, or as VTS/VOB, etc. There is a certain amount of layer abstraction going on which, if you don't know how to maneuver around it, will generate a LOT of dummy PGCs, etc. in order to smoothly provide you with the title layout you're going for.

So, what I'm getting at is that one already-created title might be say 1/4 of the way to using up the max in one or more of those specs (title, PGC, PG, PTT, CellPointer), so just "ADDING" 16 titles together is going to make the combined "super DVD" totally out-of-spec, and likely unplayable. That's why you'd HAVE to manually re-author from the elementary streams - to maneuver around the maximums and craft the new master so it stays within spec. If you go to all that trouble to create a "super DVD" that's unplayable, why bother? I mean, heck, I can FART and call it a "super DVD", but it's not playable. (At least I hope not)

Scott

[SearchQuality]

The 3.7 is a typing error. DVD Architect gives warning signes when the DVD size becomes greater than 4.7. I can try DVD remake although some freeware tool would be much better. In this project proposal the basic idea is to have a usable menu structure that gives access to N number of video clips and slideshows organized in chapters that cover various phases, aspects, dates, places, etc describing the same subject such as a 30 days long cruise and safari voyage discovering South America. No physical media such as double layer DVD is foreseen. The structure would be playable on the media player mentioned in my fist message. It may sound like undoable or impractical. Consider this discussion as a brain storming session. Any good idea may be useful to realize this virtual super DVD.